


12 Days Before Christmas

by AConfusedBean



Series: DoJae Holidays [3]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alpha Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun, Alpha Na Jaemin, Cute, I really don’t want to tag everyone, I tried to include OT23, M/M, Omega Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung, Omega Lee Jeno, but that’s a lot of people, the usual DoJae shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:35:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28315377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AConfusedBean/pseuds/AConfusedBean
Summary: For Dongyoung and his true love, the twelve days leading up to Christmas looked something like this:* 12 homemade cookies* 11 assorted chocolates* 10 minutes of massages* 9 chocolate truffles (was his Alpha trying to raisehis blood sugar levels?)* 8 white roses* 7 annoying friends* 6 nagging family members* 5 mental break downs* 4 hours of hormones* 3 hours of post-party regret* 2 sweatersand* 1 golden ring (well, five rings does seem a bit excessive, right?)
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Series: DoJae Holidays [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1994161
Comments: 1
Kudos: 140





	12 Days Before Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays! I originally got the idea for this work back in August, so I’ve been holding onto this for quite some time! I hope that everyone is staying safe and healthy!
> 
> Enjoy!

**12 Days Until Christmas...**  
  


Deck the halls indeed, things truly were beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the Jung-Kim household.

Christmas music was being played almost 24/7 because it ‘put them in a good mood’ and ‘helps Doyoung not be as stressed around the holidays’. Doyoung certainly didn’t mind the Christmas music being put on repeat, it really did help keep his spirits high. Besides, it was fun decorating with his boyfriend and dancing to the Christmas music just made it more enjoyable.

“Doyoung, I’m going to make cookies,” Jaehyun announced over the radio. “What kind do you want?”

“You can never go wrong with chocolate chip,” Doyoung called back. “But I’d also be fine with snickerdoodle.”

“Snickerdoodle seems more festive,” The Alpha decided. “So we’re going with that.”

Within an hour, their home started smelling like baking cookies, adding to the liveliness of the atmosphere. That is, until the couple got so caught up in kissing under the mistletoe—that Jaehyun was physically holding over their heads—that they forgot about the cookies until there was the smell of baking turned into burning. Doyoung was the first to notice, frowning as he caught a faint whiff of the smell.

“Hey, is something burning?”

Jaehyun winked. “Only my undying love for you.” Doyoung didn’t react. The Alpha sighed in defeat. “And maybe the cookies.”

“The cookies!” Doyoung yelped, running to the kitchen. “You, Mister, were supposed to be watching them,” Doyoung scolded his boyfriend as he scraped some of the burnt parts off the bottom.

Jaehyun gave him the most pathetic-looking puppy eyes and Doyoung’s heart just melted.

“Fine,” he sighed, “you’re off the hook. Help me move the cookies onto a cooling rack.” He looked down at the cookie sheet and furrowed his eyebrows. “Uh, Jae? What happened to these two?”

Jaehyun looked over his shoulder and laughed. Instead of twelve cookies that the recipe was supposed to make, there was fourteen. And the extra two were the smallest ones.

“I guess I ran out of cookie dough for those ones,” Jaehyun chuckled.

“And you didn’t think to take some batter from the others?” Doyoung asked, amused. “Or combine them.”

“Guess not.”

The two each picked up one of the cookies and took a bite out of them. They were warm and soft and tasted of pure goodness.

“These are so good,” Doyoung said, savoring each bite.

“And look, now we have twelve,” Jaehyun stated. “Exactly how much the recipe said it would make.”

“Would you look at that,” Doyoung said a little sarcastically. “I guess eating really does solve everything.”

Jaehyun laughed, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend. 

*****

** 11 Days Until Christmas... **

Jaehyun had a simple shopping list his boyfriend gave him and nowhere on it did it say ‘a box of assorted gourmet chocolates’. But Jaehyun got it anyway. Besides, what Omega didn’t like chocolates? He liked to think of himself as a gentleman, the classy guy who could charm his way into any Omega’s heart. And the key to an Omega’s heart was through chocolate. What could he say? He’s a classic romantic, always bringing home chocolates and flowers for his lover.

He was also in the doghouse right now and was hoping that chocolate could help him get out of it, so there was that.

So what did Jaehyun—classy, romantic, gentleman Jaehyun—do to land himself in trouble?

“Jung Jaehyun, you did  _ not _ just break my favorite mug that my oh-so-thoughtful cousin gave me when I graduated from grad school,” Doyoung growled, glaring at his boyfriend, who was guiltily looking at said mug on the floor in pieces.

“Um...no?” Doyoung didn’t buy it. “I’m sorry,” Jaehyun apologize sincerely. “My hands were wet when I was washing the dishes and it must’ve slipped from my grasp when I was reaching over to put it on the drying rack.”

Doyoung sighed, going into the closet to grab a pan and broom. “It’s fine, accidents happen. You didn’t get hurt, did you?”

“No,” Jaehyun mumbled, feeling terrible.

The mug was made by Jeno himself in his university’s pottery and ceramics class. It was a rather cute mug, little pictures of bunnies and cats hand-painted onto it in what must’ve been a pain-staking process. And now it was ruined. Doyoung understands that it was an accident, but Jaehyun still felt horrible about it.

Which leads him to standing in the candy shop, looking through all the decorative boxes of chocolate they had. Jaehyun grabbed a box of ten chocolates with an extra “limited time holiday edition” chocolate for a total of eleven. This “limited time holiday edition” chocolate was a peppermint and coffee flavored one, but how that differed from the other box of peppermint and coffee flavored chocolates one shelf over was beyond him.

Paying for the impromptu treats, Jaehyun made his way back home, hoping that Doyoung wouldn’t stay upset for too long. He found his Omega in their room, reading a book on their bed. Knocking softly on the door, he entered the room, box of chocolates hidden behind him.

“What do you have there?” Doyoung asked, bookmarking his page and sitting up. 

“I got you a gift,” Jaehyun said, pulling out the chocolates and handing it to him. “I saw it in the check-out and decided to get it for you as an apology for breaking your mug.”

Doyoung smiled at him, Jaehyung’s heart fluttering a little. “I told you that it was okay, but thanks anyway,” the older said. “Shall we have one now?”

Jaehyun eagerly agreed, the two taking their time to pick their chocolates. They laughed as they reached for the same one, the two quickly doing a game of rock-paper-scissors to decide who got it. Doyoung won.

“These are really good,” Doyoung complimented, taking a bite of a chocolate and caramel one.

“Should we share the limited edition one?” Jaehyun asked.

Doyoung smirked at him. “I don’t know, shouldn’t we save that for Jeno? He’s the one who worked really hard on the mug after all. And since I always use it, he’ll wonder where it went.”

Jaehyun was silent before getting up, grabbing his keys, phone, and wallet.

Another trip to the store then. 

*****

** 10 Days Until Christmas... **

Out of the friend group, Taeyong was usually the one organizing the fun group activities. So Doyoung really wasn’t too surprised when the other Omega called everyone up and asked if they wanted to try playing a game of hockey.

Now, the group’s hockey experience went something like this:

  * Jeno played hockey recreationally in university 
  * Shotaro had a friend who played hockey in university when he still lived in Japan and would occasionally go to the games and watch
  * Taeyong watched segments of a few hockey games on the TV, which is where he got the idea



In summary, their overall experience as a group was very limited.

But that wasn’t going to stop them from trying. After a brief crash course from Jeno—along with a few tips from Shotaro—the group of twenty-three divided themselves up with Jeno being the referee since everyone agreed it wouldn’t be fair for one team to have him.

It was...interesting, to say the least. The highlights of the game were as follows:

  * Jaehyun got a little too competitive and ended up slamming into Taeil, sending the oldest spiraling into the walls separating the ice rink from the stands (Jaehyun apologized after and offered to buy Taeil a drink)
  * Yuta seemed to have equated hockey with soccer, at one point even kicking the puck to get it away from Youngho (the puck made it into the net, so goal?)
  * Renjun ended up using the stick to hit Donghyuck over the head, resulting in him being sent to the penalty box (that didn’t stop him from doing it again, resulting in another trip to the box) 
  * Jaemin skated right into Jeno, making the two trip and fall over each other with Jaemin on top. Jeno was a blushing mess, the Omega refusing to look the Alpha in the eyes (this little incident could’ve possibly sped up the process of confessing, much to everyone’s delight) 



By the end of the day, Doyoung was sore but happy, having had a lot of fun with the group. A warm bath helped relax his sore body, and it was a bonus when Jaehyun decided to give him a massage.

Doyoung was just beginning to fall asleep under Jaehyun’s skillful fingers when the younger suddenly stopped, making the Omega whine in protest.

“It’s been ten minutes, my turn now,” Jaehyun informed, laying on his stomach expectantly.

“You go and work out every other day,” Doyoung protested, “you’re used to the soreness.”

“That doesn’t mean I like it! If you massage me for ten minutes then I’ll massage you again.”

“Will I have to return the favor?”

“Of course.”

Doyoung rolled his eyes fondly but got to work. And when Jaehyun’s ten minutes were up, he was more than happy to flop to the side to continue being pampered.

***** 

** 9 Days Until Christmas... **

It was the second Saturday of the month, and that meant grocery shopping. Doyoung was a man on a mission, expertly navigating the store as he added the items on the list to his cart. In the checkout line, however, his eyes caught on a jar of chocolates in a variety of flavors of adult drinks. Whose idea was it to make rum-chocolate? After warring with himself for a bit, he shrugged and grabbed a handful.

They finished the chocolate Jaehyun had bought the previous night and Doyoung could already feel his cravings coming back. The chocolate wasn’t as high of quality as the chocolates Jaehyun had bought, but then again, what was a ‘high quality’ of chocolate? Has anyone ever had a  _bad_ chocolate? Doyoung hasn’t, so until he finds one, he’s just going to believe that the companies who mark the boxes as ‘deluxe,’ ‘premium,’ or ‘signature’ is just doing so in order to raise the price.

Ignoring the cashier’s judging gaze at the nine alcoholic chocolates he had grabbed, Doyoung paid for his groceries and headed back to the apartment. He set them down on the counter in the little decorative bowl they had, sort of forgetting about them until later that evening.

Jaehyun, had a spur-of-the-moment meeting pop up on his schedule, the building that was half-way through construction having an unforeseen complication that required all hands on deck—especially the architect team who designed the building. 

Coming home from the meeting, Jaehyun began taking off his tie, humming  _Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas_ under his breath. Doyoung shivered a bit at the deep, husky voice of his boyfriend, the Omega growing weak to the voice of the Alpha. Judging from Jaehyun’s little smirk and the knowing glances, he was well aware of what he was doing.

Giving his boyfriend one last look, Jaehyun strutted into the bedroom. And if Doyoung followed close behind, chocolates in hand and closing the door behind him, then nobody needed to know.

*****

** 8 Days Until Christmas... **

“Aren’t poinsettias usually the Christmas flower?” Jaehyun asked, arching a brow as Doyoung put a bundle of white and red roses in a vase in the center of the kitchen table.

“Yes, but they didn’t have any at the store so I had to improvise,” Doyoung brushed off. “Besides, these kids were doing a fundraiser and were selling roses, so I couldn’t resist. I originally bought ten, but they I ran into Jaemin and gave him two to give to Jeno.”

Jaehyun pouted. “My boyfriend’s giving out roses to other Alphas?”

Doyoung gave him an unimpressed look. “That ‘other Alpha’ already has eyes on my baby cousin, I don’t think you need to worry.”

Later that evening, Jaehyun overheard Doyoung on the phone with Jeno. The Alpha paused in his cooking, ears straining to hear.

“Jaemin gave you two roses?” Doyoung asked, doing a remarkable job at pretending he didn’t know how the younger Alpha acquired those roses in the first place. “That’s so cute!”

Jaehyun chuckled softly to himself, his Omega really was something else.

*****

** 7 Days Until Christmas... **

Considering he was making the biggest decision in his life, it was no wonder Jaehyun called for backup. Where he went wrong was  _who_ he called for backup.

“What about this one?” Jungwoo asked, turning his phone for Jaehyun to squint at.

“It’s too...” Jaehyun trailed off, trying to find the right word.

“Flashy?” Taeil suggested.

“Gaudy?” Youngho offered.

“Loud,” Yuta deadpanned.

“All of the above,” Mark laughed. “No way Doyoung would wear that.”

The Omega was right, Doyoung was a man of taste, but he was also one for practicality. The gem-encrusted monstrosity that Jungwoo showed Jaehyun was anything but practical.

“Fine,” Jungwoo huffed, flopping down on the couch and resuming his scrolling.

“Would Doyoung like gold, rose gold, or white gold?” Yukhei asked.

“White gold?” Youngho asked. “At that point just get silver, it’s less expensive.”

“Silver isn’t an option for this one,” Yukhei replied after checking the phone.

“Then find a new one.”

“But this is a cool design! Besides, Omegas can sniff out if you bought them a ring of cheaper material.”

“What is Doyoung, a frivolous bloodhound?” Jaehyun asked. “He won’t care.”

“Au contraire, I’ve seen his browsing history,” Jungwoo said. Everyone leaned in expectantly. “And in one of the search suggestions of recently browsed searches was ‘rose gold bracelets’.”

Jaehyun knew what bracelet Jungwoo was talking about, it was a beautiful piece that Doyoung decided to splurge on after getting promoted.

“So he likes rose gold?” Mark asked for confirmation.

“But what if he only bought it for a specific outfit? White goes with everything, buy the white gold band,” Yukhei argued.

“I’m still thinking silver.”

“That isn’t an option, Youngho!”

Jaehyun rubbed his temples, feeling a headache beginning to form. “Let me call Taeyong, he’s Doyoungie’s best friend, he’ll know,” the Alpha decided.

Everyone was silent as the phone rang, Taeyong picking up after a few seconds.

“Jaehyun?”

“Yeah, hey, Taeyong, so out of curiosity, what kind of metal does Doyoung like for jewelry,” Jaehyun asked, trying to sound casual.

“How should I know?” Taeyong asked. “I’m not his boyfriend.”

Ouch.

“Okay, but I’d you had to guess,” Jaehyun persisted.

There was a pause. “Silver?”

Aaaand they were done here. Thanking him for the information, Jaehyun hung up.

“So white gold then,” Jungwoo said.

“At least it’s the cheapest option,” Yukhei stated.

“Let me see the design.” Jaehyun reached for the phone.

Looking at it, Jaehyun shook his head. “It’s too simplistic, he deserves a bit more.”

“Jungwoo’s was too gaudy, Yukhei’s is too simple, which one is good for you, Goldilocks?” Taeil teased.

Sighing, Jaehyun put his head in his hands, his friends teasing him. Really, seven friends and they were giving him more of a headache than useful advice, he put his faith in the wrong people. Next time he’ll call Jeno. 

*****

** 6 Days Until Christmas... **

Jaehyun and Doyoung were visiting the latter’s family for a dinner, never missing the opportunity to get a taste of Mrs. Kim’s cooking. Doyoung’s entire immediate family was there as well as the relatives that lived in the area—namely, his aunt, uncle, and cousin. 

Doyoung was helping his mother, aunt, and sister-in-law prepare dinner while Jaehyun helped Doyoung’s father, older brother, and uncle bring in firewood from the shed. Jeno was busy playing with the family cat, but soon got up to set the table. When all of them were seated, they helped themselves to whatever was passed around.

“So, Doyoung,” Doyoung’s aunt said casually and the Omega braced himself. “When do you plan on mating with your boyfriend?”

Jaehyun choked on his water and Jeno gently patted him on the back. Meanwhile, Doyoung’s face went red.

“Aunt Park,” Doyoung groaned, embarrassed.

“No, she’s right,” his mother piped up. “When am I getting grandchildren?”

“Grandchildren?” Doyoung sputtered. “Mom we’re not even mated! Grandchildren won’t be coming for a long,  _long_ time.”

“What, a go-getter like you hasn’t made a move yet?” Doyoung’s uncle asked, looking at Jaehyun, who just awkwardly took a sip of water.

Looking to his older brother for help, the Alpha was of no use as he slung and arm around his wife’s shoulders, grinning at Doyoung. Doyoung and Jaehyun’s faces were red as Doyoung’s parents, aunt and uncle, and brother and sister-in-law continued to tease them. The only one not doing so was Jeno, but he knew that as soon as he brought Jaemin home, it would only be a matter of time. So he kept quiet and continued to eat the bread that he had piled on his plate. 

*****

** 5 Days Until Christmas... **

Five mental breakdowns in the span of an hour, the last time he did that was in grad school.

“Doyoung, I’m sure it’ll be perfect,” Jaehyun comforted, hugging the Omega around the shoulders as Doyoung sat in front of his computer. “You always pull through.”

“I know that,” Doyoung said, punching numbers into his calculator. “But I still need to get through it.”

He had been put in a team to budget and plan his company’s Christmas party. After his promotion, he was suddenly handling much bigger, broader situations rather than a single department. Exhibit A, the company Christmas party that was supposed to be happening tomorrow but had a delay in the shipping of some decorations as well as food. So here he was, at 10 PM, ready to go into a stress-induced heart attack.

Jaehyun—bless his Alpha’s kind heart—was armed with chocolate, back rubs, and kisses to help calm his boyfriend down anytime there was a distressed spike in his scent. Which, considering the five mental breakdowns, was quite often.

“What incompetent fool ordered the CEO’s favorite snack with nuts when the CEO is allergic to nuts!?” Doyoung cried out. “Just as well that the order is delayed, let’s cancel that.”

Jaehyun jumped back to avoid getting his foot run over by Doyoung’s chair as the Omega scooted over to grab a file that was laying on his desk. Muttering to himself, Doyoung scribbled some stuff down.

“Can you hand me my phone?” Doyoung asked. “It’s on the table behind you.”

Jaehyun passed it to him and Doyoung scrolled through his contacts before clicking one, putting the device on speaker and setting it down to continue to work. Peering at the name, Jaehyun saw that it was Kun being called.

“Doyoung? Is everything okay?”

“A little stressed right now, but that’s life,” Doyoung said distractedly. “Do you mind if I ask you for a huge favor?”

“If it’s you, it can’t be that bad, Yangyang once asked the same thing and I had to drive to five different pet stores to replace a hamster.”

Doyoung paused. There was a story there.

“Yeah, I’m afraid to say mine might be worse,” he continued. Hamster story will have to come later. “I need you to bake, like, four hundred peppermint macarons, two hundred almond croissants, two hundred sugar cookies with cute Christmas designs.”

“What the hell, Doyoung, your cravings are getting out of control!”

“It’s not me!” Doyoung protested. “The bakery that was supposed to deliver for the office party tomorrow had a mix up in the orders or something and can’t get it to us.”

“And I can!?” Kun asked incredulously, though Doyoung could hear him grabbing his keys.

“I’m really sorry but if it makes you feel any better, you will be greatly compensated. Plus,  I will spread the news that it was your bakery who did this to get you some more customers. Company executives and the board of directors will be in attendance, so you might have some pretty wealthy clients.”

“God, that means that it has to look extra good!” Kun said. “You’re going to make me stress bake about baking now!”

Doyoung winced. “I love you?”

“You better after this,” Kun huffed, though it was fond. “I’ll call in my little elves and I’ll have it delivered tomorrow, just give me the time and address.”

“Thanks Kun, you’re a life saver,” Doyoung said in relief. “Let me know if you need anything.” Hanging up, he turned to Jaehyun. “We are getting that man the best Christmas gift ever this year,” the Omega declared. 

Jaehyun smiled. “We’ll have to start looking for another Christmas gift for him soon then, I don’t think the mittens we got him are going to cut it.”

*****

** 4 Days Until Christmas... **

The next morning, Doyoung popped by Kun’s bakery to see how it was going. He wasn’t surprised to see that it was closed for the day and he winced, mentally apologizing to his friend. He then continued on to the office building, fighting the urge to go to the venue where the party was being held. The department of operations was going to handle it, Doyoung was just in charge of the finances and budgeting.

He lost track of time and the next thing he knew, his clock read 4:30. Doyoung rushed home and saw that Jaehyun had already ironed out his suit. His boyfriend was busy putting on a tie, freshly showered and ready. Doyoung took a quick shower as well, taking time to style his hair before getting dressed. This Christmas party was for all of the managers in the company, whether that was down at the bottom as a manager of a unit to all the way at the top with managers of the company. If someone was in a position of leadership, they were invited—as well as any significant others.

“Watch us get there and it’s just a big mess,” Doyoung huffed. 

Jaehyun chuckled, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend’s shoulders. “It’ll be fine,” he assured, his voice low and soothing. “Besides, you were in charge of finances, not orchestrating the whole thing. Leave the nitpicking to everyone else, you technically went above and beyond when you organized the catering for the sweets.”

“I couldn’t just call my coworkers and told them their options within our price range and dumped that on them,” Doyoung protested.

His Alpha snorted. “You really could’ve.” 

The two got into their car, Jaehyun driving while Doyoung directed him to the venue. Parking, Doyoung flashed their invitation to the staff and was directed to the room where the party was being held. A large room opened up before them, decorated with elaborate—and probably expensive—decorations.

“That’s a giant Christmas tree,” Jaehyun whistled. 

“Yeah, and it’s really pretty.” 

Doyoung missed his Alpha’s loving glance at him, too busy admiring the sparkly lights. Making his way over to the refreshments table, Doyoung was delighted to see Kun’s work on the table, the guests already digging in. He looked down to send a quick text to Kun and by the time he looked up, Jaehyun was already halfway done with his almond croissant.

“Kun’s baking is delicious,” Jaehyun said. “I could just sit here and stuff my face all day.”

“You better not,” Doyoung fondly chided. “Let others have a taste too.”

Pouting, Jaehyun allowed himself to be led away from the table—but not before the couple each grabbed a napkin of desserts to-go. 

Corporate parties like this were fun, they got to dress up all nice and fancy to the point where it gave them a confidence boost. They got to meet all sorts of fun people and have a more relaxed conversation rather than simple pleasantries or conversations about their work. Doyoung introduced Jaehyun to a variety of his coworkers, each one of them interesting to talk to. The Alpha even discovered that one of Doyoung’s senior managers was the sister of one of his coworkers. Small world.

The pair had somehow migrated back to the refreshments table, Doyoung gently slapping his boyfriend’s hand when he reached for another cookie.

“Eat a sandwich or something first,” the Omega said. “Then you can go back for dessert.”

“Yes dear,” Jaehyun chuckled, smiling lovingly at his boyfriend. 

“Oh, Doyoung!”

The two turned to see a tall, handsome Alpha walking towards them. Doyoung smiled, greeting his coworker with a small bow, which was returned. 

“Wonsung, I thought you said you weren’t going to be able to make it!” Doyoung said. “It’s great that you’re here!”

“Yeah, I canceled the event I had planned in order to make it,” the Alpha said. “It’s good to see you Doyoungie.”

Jaehyun tensed a little at the nickname. Doyoung usually liked to keep things professional in the workplace, he never called coworkers by their nicknames unless they explicitly told him to do so, nor did he like people calling him nicknames in his work setting. Granted, they were outside the office, but Wonsung said his nickname like he uses it a lot.

“This is my boyfriend, Jaehyun,” Doyoung said, stepping to the side a little so that Jaehyun was in clear view.

“Nice to meet you,” Jaehyun said with a smile that was a little faked but could still pass as genuine. 

He made sure to have a firm grip for the handshake. It was such an Alpha posturing thing to do and Jaehyun didn’t usually do it. But then again, people he wasn’t familiar with usually didn’t call his boyfriend by a cute nickname, so desperate times call for desperate measures. 

“I’m Wonsung, one of the other managers on Doyoung’s floor,” the other Alpha said, tightening his grip on Jaehyun’s hand. 

The two locked eyes, giving each other a hard glance before pulling back, smiling at each other again. Doyoung, on the other hand, wasn’t blind. He could see how rigid his boyfriend had become just as he could smell the tension between the two. Something about Wonsung had rubbed Jaehyun the wrong way and Doyoung needed to separate them.

“Jaehyun, I need to take a quick bathroom break, have you seen where they are?” Doyoung asked.

“Sure, I can take you to them,” his Alpha said, smiling at him. “It was nice meeting you, Wonsung.” A lie.

“Oh, Doyoung, I wanted to talk to you about one of the recent financial reports,” Wonsung called.

Jaehyun grit his teeth. “It’s outside of office hours, surely it can wait?” He said, trying—and probably failing—to keep his polite demeanor. 

“I’m afraid I’m going to be working on it after the party, so it can’t,” Wonsung said, his tone apologetic with his expression anything but. 

“If it can be fairly quick, I have no problem discussing it,” Doyoung said, rubbing Jaehyun’s back to help sooth the younger. “If it’s going to be lengthy, then maybe we can talk over the phone or exchange emails?” 

“It will take no more than ten minutes,” Wonsung promised. “I know that you’re taking time off of work and probably don’t want to worry about it anymore until you’re back. Unfortunately though, since it is company finances, it should probably be discussed in private.”

Jaehyun let out the quietest of growls, knowing that his behavior would reflect on his boyfriend. The last thing he wanted to do was get Doyoung in trouble. 

“Then let’s head out into the main hall where it’s a bit quieter,” the Omega suggested. He smiled at Jaehyun. “I’ll be back soon, then we can find that bathroom, okay?”

“I’ll find you in ten minutes to make sure he didn’t kidnap you,” Jaehyun said, his tone joking but his thoughts serious.

Doyoung, to his credit, laughed like it was a joke and Wonsung followed along. Doyoung led the way outside and Jaehyun had to stop himself from grabbing Wonsung when the other Alpha’s hand dropped to Doyoung’s lower back. Taking a glance at his watch, Jaehyun noted the time and began counting down. 

Doyoung, on the other hand, wasn’t too worried. This was still a company party and if Wonsung wanted to keep his job—and more importantly, his hand once Jaehyun was through with him—then he’d remain professional and do what he claimed he wanted to do. 

“So, what’s the issue in the report?” Doyoung asked, not wasting any time.

“I was going through some of the excel sheets and noticed that there was about a hundred and ten million won disparity between what one department reported and what another reported. I was hoping that you could help me track down whoever typed in the numbers to see if it was a typo or if there’s a bigger problem at hand.”

Doyoung held in his frustration. “I’ll help, but I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do about it now. After tonight, I’ll be taking my paid vacation for the next week, so I won’t be able to do much until then.” 

“Let me take you out for a drink then,” Wonsung said smoothly. “We can go over numbers and it won’t seem like a day at work. My treat.” 

His voice took on a flirtier tone and Doyoung stepped back a bit. “Thank you for the offer, but I’ll have to decline,” the Omega said firmly. “My boyfriend—“

“Won’t mind,” Wonsung cut in. “Not if it’s something urgent, I’m sure he’ll understand. If not, I’ll help you talk some sense into him.”

Doyoung growled and narrowed his eyes. “You are bordering on unprofessional, Wonsung,” he warned. “I will look over what I have tomorrow but if I can’t find anything, then it’ll have to wait until after Christmas at the earliest.” 

Doyoung turned to walk away but felt a hand wrap around his wrist, yanking him back. A startled yelp left him as he lost his footing at the roughness of the tug. Wonsung, who clearly used more strength than he thought he did, stumbled as Doyoung all but crashed into him. An arm instinctively wrapped itself around his waist and Doyoung froze as he realized what position on they were in. 

Meanwhile, Jaehyun had been pacing near the door that led to the hallway the two coworkers had disappeared to. It’s not like he’s stalking their conversation, it’s just that he wanted to know if something went wrong. He was beginning to relax a little when he heard a faint growl. Stopping, he listened carefully, wondering if he had imagined it or if it was actually coming from the hallway. A louder yelp made the decision for him and he quickly turned the corner, eyes narrowing as he saw his boyfriend wrapped in the arms of some other Alpha. 

“Let go of him,” Jaehyun growled, prowling forward. 

Wonsung did so immediately, Doyoung quick to put a few steps between them. Jaehyun kept his glare on the other as Wonsung slunk away, off to rejoin the party. Once he was out of sight, Jaehyun turned to Doyoung, looking him over before wrapping him in his embrace, Doyoung accepting it all too willingly. 

“He grabbed my arm to pull me back.” Doyoung knew that Jaehyun would never think that he was disloyal, but the Omega felt the need to explain anyway.

“I know,” Jaehyun said, rubbing his cheek against his Omega’s scent glands on his neck. “Don’t worry about it.” 

Unfortunately for him, Jaehyun wasn’t able to scent his Omega properly like he itched to do. They were still at Doyoung’s company party and it wasn’t the place to make such an official claiming statement. So the younger had to settle with sticking next to his boyfriend like glue, keeping a careful eye over him anytime Doyoung went to talk with someone without him. 

Four hours later found the two back in their apartment, having changed into their sleepwear and scenting each other thoroughly in bed. Jaehyun took advantage of the oversized shirt on the older, kissing and nipping at the exposed skin near the collarbones. Doyoung purred as his Alpha scented him, enjoying the undivided attention. When it was his turn to scent Jaehyun, the younger leaned back and let out a content rumble of his own, lifting his chin a little to give Doyoung better access. Doyoung was more than happy to appease his boyfriend’s Alpha, glad that the four hours of protectiveness were over. 

*****

** 3 Days Until Christmas... **

“You have to remember that you’re not as young as you used to be,” Doyoung sighed.

“I’m twenty-three, I’m not  _that_ old!” Jaehyun wheezed. “And it wasn’t too long ago that I was in college knocking back shot after—“ he cut himself off to lean over the toilet, throwing up. “Shot,” he finished weakly. 

“Okay, fine, but you know better than to challenge Youngho to a drinking game,” Doyoung said, grimacing at the stench of vomit and rubbing his boyfriend’s back. “Your competitive streak is going to get the best of you one day.” Doyoung cringed as Jaehyun threw up again. “If it hasn’t already,” he added. 

“But I won,” Jaehyun pointed out, being hunched over a toilet and throwing up doing nothing to his pride. 

“Yay,” Doyoung said flatly. 

The two had spent three hours at a Christmas party and another three hours in the bathroom, so it evened out in the end. When Jaehyun was finally done cleansing his stomach, Doyoung made him brush his teeth, take a shower to get the smell of alcohol and vomit off of him, and then brush his teeth again. Crawling into bed, Jaehyun had the audacity to turn to Doyoung with a charming smile, Pickering his lips for a kiss. 

“Not until you brush your teeth tomorrow morning,” the Omega said with an eye roll. 

Upon seeing Jaehyun’s pout, Doyoung relented and satisfied him with a kiss on the cheek. 

*****

**2 Days Until Christmas...**  
  


This time, it was Doyoung who wanted to get something nice for his boyfriend. Christmas wasn’t until another two days, but Jaehyun had given him all sorts of chocolates, so if the Alpha can give him gifts early, then he could too.

The Omega browsed the store, nothing quite catching his eyes. It wasn’t until he was walking past the clothing section did something get his attention—and not in a good way. Doyoung stared at the colorful monstrosity before him, almost having a stroke at the hideous Christmas sweaters hanging on the rack before him.

Slowly, a grin overtook his face. He cheerfully grabbed one of the sweaters, throwing it in the cart with way too much joy. This is it, this is going to be his early present to Jaehyun. Admittedly, Doyoung started his shopping with kind intentions, but this was way too good of an opportunity for revenge to pass up.

Strolling through the men’s section, Doyoung found a nice, more aesthetically pleasing knitted sweater that he liked, adding it to the cart as well. Paying for it—and promptly ignoring the cashier’s furrowed eyebrows at Jaehyun’s future gift—Doyoung drove back to the apartment, happily listening to holiday music on the way back.

“Jaehyunnie!” Doyoung sang. “I have something for you!”

“In the bedroom!”

Jaehyun was laying on the bed, scrolling through his phone. He looked up and greeted Doyoung with a smile. Oh his poor, unsuspecting boyfriend.

“Whatcha got there?” Jaehyun asked casually.

“Matching sweaters for us,” Doyoung said.

He pulled out Jaehyun’s, holding it up and taking great pleasure at the increasingly horrified expression that the Alpha sported. Jaehyun scrambled off the bed, making a run for it. Doyoung, one step ahead of him, lunged, tackling Jaehyun.

“Doyoungie!” Jaehyun pleaded, eyeing the sweater.

“No, this is for not taking my advice yesterday and stopping after the fifth shot!” Doyoung growled playfully.

“This classifies as a cruel and unusual punishment!”

“You’re not in the U.S. anymore, that amendment doesn’t work here!”

The two tussled on the ground, Doyoung winning and wrestling the sweater over Jaehyun’s head. Pouting and filling the air with sad Alpha pheromones, Jaehyun looked at the bag hopefully.

“So what’s the matching sweater?”

Jaehyun’s face fell as Doyoung pulled out a nice, soft brown sweater with darker brown patterns.

“In what way do these two match!?” Jaehyun cried.

“They both have brown in them,” Doyoung claimed. “Now come here and let’s take a picture.”

“So you can send it to your mom group chat with Taeyong and Kun, who will then share it with everyone else? No thanks.”

“I promise I won’t,” Doyoung said. “I’ll just hold it for blackmail material.”

“Not much better,” Jaehyun muttered, going to stand for a picture.

He managed to smile, but his eyes were pleading for help in the selfie. That night, Jaehyun waited until his boyfriend was asleep before rolling over and carefully grabbing the Omega’s phone. Planning on deleting the cursed picture, Jaehyun typed in the password, only for it to tell him that the password was wrong. Frowning, Jaehyun tried it again, paying close attention to what he was typing in case he pressed the wrong number in the first attempt. Still no access. Realizing that Doyoung had changed his password, Jaehyun set the phone back down, staring ahead in the dark room with dead eyes.

“Damn it.”

*****

** 1 Day Until Christmas... **

Today was the day. Jaehyun laid in bed for a little bit longer, not ready to face what lay in store for him. How was he supposed to act natural when he just wanted the night to be over with already?

Doyoung stirred in bed next to him, turning to snuggle into his warmth. How this was the man who forced Jaehyun to set aside his pride and wear a hideous Christmas sweater was beyond him. The duality. Jaehyun turned and stared at his Omega’s sleeping face, admiring his handsome features. Unable to resist the temptation of the angelic face, Jaehyun leaned in and began to pepper his boyfriend with kisses. It was time for Doyoung to wake up anyway.

“Mmm...Jae?”

“The one and only,” Jaehyun smiled. “I hope you weren’t expecting someone else though.”

“I don’t know, you know that I wouldn’t mind waking up next to my celebrity crushes,” Doyoung teased.

“Please, your celebrity crushes  wish they could be me,” Jaehyun said, crawling on top of the older.

Doyoung looked up at him with a gaze to tender and affectionate that Jaehyun’s heart stuttered and almost stopped beating altogether. He leaned forward, kissing Doyoung a little too passionately for 9 in the morning.

“It’s Christmas Eve, do we have any plans?” Doyoung asked when Jaehyun pulled away to breathe.

“Other than our annual tradition of opening one gift?” Jaehyun asked. He kissed Doyoung again, a light peck. “Nope.”

“Good, because I have to chaperone Jeno on an outing with Jaemin.”

“What now?” Jaehyun asked, confused.

“You heard me.”

“Does that mean that they’re finally dating?”

“No, but something tells me that they will be by the end of their outing.”

“Where are they going?” Jaehyun asked, flopping to the side and pulling Doyoung closer to him by the waist. “And what time?”

“They’re going to an ice rink at noon,” Doyoung replied. “You know, the big fancy one in the Gangnam district with all the malls and stuff?”

“Sounds like a fun time, I’ll go with you.” Doyoung twisted to look at him. “You heard me,” Jaehyun said, “it’ll be a great place for our own little date.”

“Don’t tell me you need to get last-minute Christmas presents,” Doyoung accused.

“Excuse me, I have better time management than that,” Jaehyun sniffed. “But it’s cool to walk around the fancy malls at Christmas, the decorations are nice.” He poked his Omega’s side, making Doyoung squeak. “Besides, don’t tell me that you’d rather third-wheel your younger cousin all afternoon.”

Jaehyun had a point and Doyoung knew it. So he grumbled his acceptance and tried to squirm away from his boyfriend’s hold. Jaehyun laughed, holding onto the older tighter while nuzzling into his neck.

“Aww, you know I’m right,” he cooed. “Besides, you’d miss me if I wasn’t there.”

“I’d be parading in the streets,” Doyoung deadpanned.

The two finally got out of bed, starting their day. While Doyoung was in the shower, Jaehyun made sure that tonight’s gift was safely tucked away in his nightstand drawer. Just looking at the neatly wrapped box made the butterflies in his stomach flutter in both nervousness and excitement. He closed the drawer and went to get dressed for the day.

When noon rolled around, the two picked up Jeno and Jaemin, driving to Gangnam and finding a parking spot, which was easier said than done. For once Doyoung appreciated Jaehyun’s competitiveness and only felt slightly bad for beating a family of five out of a parking spot, wincing as he saw the mother glare at them with three hyperactive kids in the back. Oops.

“Alright kids, you have our numbers and credit cards, let us know if you need anything,” Jaehyun said, quick to sweep Doyoung away.

“Be safe!” Was all Doyoung was able to toss over his shoulder before being whisked away.

“Do you want to go grab lunch?” Jaehyun asked. “It is 12:15 after all.”

“It’ll be insanely expensive for small portion sizes, but sure.”

They settled on a restaurant with a rooftop bar, ordering their over-priced drinks and dishes. To the restaurant’s credit, it was delicious, making the prices almost worth it. Almost.

They took plenty of pictures and even had an impromptu snowball fight away from the main bustle of the shopping center. The couple also spent their time window shopping. Almost everything being sold in the stores was pushing the budget they had set for the year, but it was still fun to look at the items on display.

“Oh my god, she looks like a nosy mom out of a drama,” Jaehyun whispered, looking at a woman who was dressed in a loud cheetah print coat with boots, a scarf, gloves, and sunglasses.

“You’ve been hanging around Youngho too much,” Doyoung said, but he was nodding in agreement at the younger’s statement.

“I don’t need Youngho’s guidance to come to that conclusion.”

They strolled around for about two more hours before picking up Jeno and Jaemin. The two were looking at each other with loving smiles, holding hands. Doyoung and Jaehyun shared knowing glances with their own secret smiled. Doyoung would ask Jeno all about it later, knowing that his cousin would be more than happy to spill.

Back home, the two hung up their winter coats and left their shoes by the door. To warm up, they cuddled under a blanket with a cup of hot chocolate, some random movie playing in the background at a low volume.

Dinner was a simple affair, the two working side-by-side to make a nice, home-cooked meal. They lit a few candles, chatting casually while eating, the sound of clinking silverware providing a pleasant background sound. Cleaning up, they made another round of hot chocolate before heading to the living room.

“Shall we start our tradition?” Doyoung asked. 

“Yep, let me go grab my gift real quick.”

They usually gave the best gift to each other on Christmas Eve. It just made it seem more special, everyone looked forward to Christmas Day, so the two decided to make Christmas Eve the time to exchange the most important gift.

Jaehyun reached into his nightstand drawer, looking to the side and laughing as he saw Doyoung do the same.

“We really need to come up with more clever hiding places,” Doyoung joked.

“Speak for yourself, this has been my hiding place ever since we moved in,” Jaehyun chuckled.

“At least I  _try_ to move my hiding place around every year.”

“I thought we agreed that we wouldn’t go poking around, that’s why I’m not too worried about hiding it.” Jaehyun pouted. “Do you not trust me?”

Doyoung didn’t answer and Jaehyun whined as he followed the older out of the room. They sat on the floor setting their gifts for the other in front of themselves.

“I guess we both decided that smaller is better this year,” Doyoung commented, a narrow, long box in front of him.

“Rock, paper, scissors?” Jaehyun offered.

The two played two matches with Jaehyun winning both of them. He reached for Doyoung’s gift, carefully opening it. Inside was a velvet box that usually contained some kind of jewelry. Opening it, he carefully took out the undoubtedly expensive watch.

“I heard you muttering that you needed to buy yourself a new one, but you never got around to it,” the Omega explained. “Go ahead and try it on, if you don’t like it then we can return it.”

Jaehyun tried it on, finding that it fit perfectly. As expected from someone who knew him so well.

“It’s beautiful and perfect,” Jaehyun assured. “I love it, thank you so much.”

Doyoung smiled and Jaehyun’s heart skipped a beat. His heart rate increased as he reached for his own present, handing it over to Doyoung. The older unwrapped it with nimble fingers, pausing as he saw the unmistakable box that would carry a ring. Jaehyun reached over, his hand a little shaky as he took the box. Doyoung relinquished it without a fight, eyes wide as the Alpha moved into the classic proposal position.

“Doyoungie, we’ve been dating for three years now,” he began. “And I can’t imagine life without you.”

Doyoung’s hand went to his mouth, tears springing to his eyes. Jaehyun hoped it was a good sign. Taking a deep breath, he opened the box, revealing a simple but stunning gold ring with a row of diamonds embedded in it, the center stone being an amethyst and larger than the two diamonds on each side. The amethyst was both of their birthstones and the second he saw the ring, Jaehyun knew that it was perfect.

“Kim Doyoung, will you marry me?”

“Yes!” Doyoung all but screeched, tackling the Alpha, causing him to drop the ring box in favor of catching his Omega. “Of course—you didn’t even have to ask at this point!”

“It’s tradition,” Jaehyun huffed from where he was pinned to the floor by his now fiancé. “I can’t just skip over that.”

Doyoung shut him up with a kiss. When they separated, Jaehyun let himself get lost in his lover’s eyes.

“This is great and all, but it would be even better if you wore the ring that I went through great lengths to pick out.”

Doyoung grabbed the discarded box, letting Jaehyun slide the ring on.

It was a perfect fit, just like them. 

**Author's Note:**

> As always, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated! Happy Holidays!


End file.
